


Rain

by silkmoth



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: First Time, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-10
Updated: 2011-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-14 15:31:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/150777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkmoth/pseuds/silkmoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur thinks he knows Merlin’s secrets. He really doesn’t.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rain

**Rain**

  
 _“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?”_

Arthur was infuriated; with one hand he shoved one of the market criers out of the way, with his other hand he grabbed the fist of the one standing in front of his manservant, merely seconds before it impacted with Merlin’s face again. He turned the man around and smashed his own fist in the ugly face; one look at his manservant’s bleeding nose had been enough to awaken his wrath.

The prince wondered if there ever would be a time when Merlin and he could just ride on patrol to watch out for the outer villages without any disaster happening. Either they were attacked in the woods, or he or Merlin or both of them got sick, or stuff like this happened. Arthur had no idea what it was about Merlin that had people so riled up. His manservant behaved nicely, far nicer than Arthur considered necessary; he smiled the whole time, got all “Awwww!” about little children and “Ohhhhhh!” about kittens, for Gods’ sake.

Facing the two men lying on the muddy floor behind the tavern Merlin and he were staying in, aware that both of them had recognized him by now, Arthur asked, “Well? Speak up before I’ll kill you!”

“My Lord! I… we… I know him! _I know him!_ ”  
 _  
Now that’s a reason if I ever heard one._ Smirking slightly, Arthur looked at Merlin to share his thought and stopped after the first word. Merlin stared at him out of huge, frightened eyes. Oh, that was great. This look meant in the next minute something terrible would happen and Arthur had gotten fed up with something terrible happening. He wanted some peace and tranquility… but he also wanted the rain to stop and that didn’t happen either. Well, this topic had to be addressed anyway; so why not here, alone, far from Camelot and his father’s deathsman?

“Good for you. I know him, too. So now what? You beat up everyone you know?”

“No! My Lord, he is a… a…” _Give it to me_ , Arthur thought. _Call him sorcerer, warlock, wizard, whatever you want. Just say it so I can drag Merlin into the tavern and have it out with him finally and put that whole thing behind us!_ “… a pervert!”

Arthur, who had already raised his hand to grab Merlin’s arm, froze. Turning around, he asked incredulously, “What did you just say?”

“I saw him! I saw him in Ealdor with this other guy and they were…”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Arthur noticed a sudden movement and when he glanced at his manservant, Merlin wasn’t there anymore. Mouth hanging open, the prince looked around and could just barely make out through the rain Merlin running away faster than Arthur had ever seen him before.

“… naked and doing… _THINGS WITH EACH OTHER!_ ”

Arthur really wished the rain would stop.

***

He found him two hours later; two hours of stomping through the mud and the rain, getting twigs slapped in his face because Merlin just had to run into the woods, their _safe_ place. Arthur’s mood hadn’t exactly improved since his search had started; and his mood hadn’t been good to begin with. The only thing he was looking forward to was that he would make Merlin polish his armour and his boots _tonight_.

Before he had followed his manservant, he had put the fear of the Gods into the two asses and had kicked them around a bit more. Firstly, no one was allowed to lay a hand on Merlin, and secondly… Arthur hadn’t been sure he wanted to know this secret. He hated surprises.

Leaning against an oak and not caring a bit about the fact that said oak dropped even more water on him, Arthur watched Merlin sitting on a tree trunk about five meters away, obviously talking with himself; about what, Arthur couldn’t even venture a guess.

Arthur crossed his arms and frowned. Now that he had found Merlin, he didn’t know what to do or say. While he had been easily following the path Merlin had trampled through the brush-wood, he had had quite a few things on his mind he wanted to mention. Now he couldn’t think of anything. Well, maybe one thing.

“Did you have something going on with Lancelot?”

Merlin actually fell from the log, dropping like a stone. Arthur sauntered over to him, noticing with glee that his manservant was even more wet than he was. In the next moment, he frowned again; Merlin had the annoying habit to catch every cold he could.

“ _What?_ ”

“Are you cold?”

“ _What?_ ”

By now, Merlin had dragged himself into a sitting position again; he still looked like a drowned rat, though. Arthur took off his cape and handed it over.

“Here, take this. So, Lancelot?”

Merlin stared at him, then he stared at the cape in his hand, obviously speechless. All of a sudden feeling slightly ill to the stomach, Arthur shifted uncomfortably. He probably shouldn’t have eaten so much at the market. Finally, Merlin got to his feet and wrapped himself completely into the cape – _Gods, he was far too thin_ – looked at the prince and asked, “Are you daft? Lancelot?” only to recoil again when he saw Arthur’s hand in front of his face, waving with a pink piece of linen. “What is _that_?”

“A handkerchief. Your nose is still bleeding a little.”

“You have pink handkerchiefs?”

“Gwen gave them to me, dozens of them.”

Merlin looked at it again, then he blew his nose, fiercely, and let the pink thing drop to the ground.

“So… Lancelot? Seriously, Arthur.”

“Well, he slept in your room.”

“How do you even…? Yes, he slept in my room, while I was sleeping out with Gaius.”

That brought an even more disturbing image to Arthur’s mind and apparently it was showing on his face, because Merlin started screeching.

“Are you…? Don’t you even dare to think that! What’s wrong with you?”

“Alright. It’s just that I never knew someone like you,” _and wasn’t that the truth_ , “so how should I know what you’re doing… and with whom?”

“What _someone like me_ is doing? Arthur, this ass has seen Will and I after we were swimming! Gods. Okay, we were… er… you know. Hell, have you never done something like this with your friends?”

 _What friends?_ Arthur thought. Out loud he asked, “So, you’re not into guys?”

Merlin already had his mouth open to answer, when he suddenly stopped and cocked his head to one side, peering at Arthur. The prince immediately became nervous. From time to time, his manservant looked at him as if he knew every single thought in his mind. Arthur hated this feeling with a vengeance.

“What?”

Still watching him in that weird way, Merlin smiled.

“Arthur, I’m not into guys or girls… I’m into persons.”

Now Arthur was absolutely certain he had eaten something wrong; his stomach was doing summersaults. And Merlin was still staring at him.

He huffed weakly. “That’s possible?” _Gods, he really wanted to know because that would mean… that would mean…  
_  
Merlin kissed him.

***

“Arthur, would you just lie back and…. ungnnnghh.”

This would show Merlin who was the prince and who was the servant. Not that Arthur had any idea what to do but he was pretty good at guessing and Merlin was… _ah shit._

“Gods! Don’t stop that!”

“What, this? Or _this_?”

 _Cocky bastard._

  
***

“So… I guess that means you’re into me?”

Merlin sighed.

“Arthur, I’m actually a little bit more than just _into_ you, but…”

“But what?”

Merlin twisted around slightly, apparently searching for something, and turned around again, the pink handkerchief in hand. He looked ominously at Arthur.

“ _This_ … makes things difficult.”

Arthur looked for a while at the handkerchief, then he shook his head.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“No?”

“No. I can’t stand these things. I only have them around because of you. You always start to bleed somewhere. And I can’t rip up my tunics every day.”

Merlin glanced at him and smiled, throwing the thing over his shoulder.

“Good answer,” he said and leaned close again.

  
***

  
“I like the rain,” Merlin said dreamily.

“Of course you do.”

  
The End.

  
~ There's always a period of curious fear between the first sweet-smelling breeze and the time when the rain comes cracking down. ~  
 _Don Delillo_


End file.
